Shuttle Gets Taste Of Things To Come 2 Foreign Astronauts First Of Many In Bid For Cooperation

June 12, 1985|By James Fisher of The Sentinel Staff

CAPE CANAVERAL — Although not yet a melting pot, space will get the added ingredients of a Saudi prince and a French pilot during next week's shuttle flight, two more examples of the increasingly international flavor of NASA's space program.

Prince Sultan Salman al-Saud and Patrick Baudry will conduct science and photography work alongside five Americans aboard Discovery during a seven-day mission that begins at 7:33 a.m. Monday. It will be the first time that citizens of three countries have traveled into space together.

The main chores on the flight are the release of three commercial satellites, and release and retrieval of a science observatory. Landing is scheduled June 24 at 9:09 a.m. EDT at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Along with French bread, bris, dates with almonds and religious customs, Baudry and Saud will bring to the mission the type of international cooperation NASA is trying to develop as it prepares for the space station era. European countries, Canada, Japan and other nations are expected to help pay for the space station, scheduled for operation by 1994.

Two citizens of foreign countries already have flown on shuttle missions. West German Ulf Merbold was part of the first Spacelab mission in November, 1983, and Canadian Marc Garneau conducted experiments for his country last October.

Later this year, West German, Dutch and Mexican payload specialists will be part of shuttle crews. Scheduled for space travel later in the decade are citizens of Indonesia, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Brazil, China and Italy.

Although the United States is enthusiastic about sharing its space program, the Soviet Union is far ahead. The Soviets have taken into orbit cosmonauts from Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, Cuba, France and India.

Saud, 28, is the nephew of Saudi King Fahad and was selected by the Arab Satellite Communicatons Organization, which represents a group of 21 Arab countries and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Baudry, 39, represents the French space agency.

Both speak English well and are considered ''westernized,'' eliminating many of the potential problems of culture clash on a mission where millions of dollars are at stake and crew cooperation is critical.

Baudry will perform experiments on posture and use ultrasound to study the body's heat and blood system in weightlessness. The prince will photograph Saudi Arabia for geological studies, mix oil and water in weightlessness and assist Baudry.

They will bring along more than space-related skills. ''I am taking French rabbit,'' said Baudry.

He also selected pate, French bread and lobster from a menu provided by NASA food handlers. Saud chose dates with almonds, a favorite of his country. A ticklish issue on the mission is the question of religion. Saud is a Moslem and is observing Ramadan, a monthlong period in which followers practice self-restraint and increase their awareness of God by fasting each day until after sundown.

This year, Ramadan ends June 18, the day after Saud is to be launched into space. While orbiting Earth, he will experience sunset every 90 minutes.

''I will not be doing anything special on my trip'' to celebrate Ramadan, Saud said. NASA said Moslems are allowed to break the Ramadan customs while traveling, and the prince ''will play it by ear.''

Then there is the regular custom of praying toward Mecca five times a day, only this time it will be observed while orbiting Earth at 17,000 mph.

''I asked a religious scholar in Saudi Arabia, 'How do you pray to Mecca? By the time you find it, it's gone,' '' he said. ''As Moslems, God has told us we can pray to him anywhere in the world facing any direction, so that is what will happen.''

The prince said he expects his flight to bring the East and West closer together.

''You will have 800 million Moslems, 155 million Arabs glued to their television sets, their radios, watching an American space shuttle carry one of their own to the heavens. If that's not bringing America closer to that part of the world, I don't know what is.''

Baudry, who was a backup cosmonaut for a Soviet spaceflight, and Saud have had no difficulty fitting in with the Americans, said Jerry Swain, training team leader at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA gives other countries the chance to fly an astronaut of their choice by three methods: an invitation by President Reagan as in Baudry's case, to accompany a major payload as the prince is doing, or by invitation from NASA Administrator James Beggs. Because of Reagan's invitation, France is not paying for Baudry's training. However, the Arab group is paying about $100,000 for Saud's preparation as part of the satellite launch agreement.